Diablo 4 Season 11 is About to Break 2 Launch Day Traditions at Once

The upcoming season of Diablo 4 may be the most different the game has felt since launch, with major overhauls to several systems planned. Diablo 4 Season 11 is reworking the game’s gear upgrading system alongside changes to the seasonal journey, renown system, and combat. Additionally, the season will bring two new additions to Sanctuary that haven’t been seen since the release of Diablo 4 over 2 years ago.

Titled the Season of Divine Intervention, Diablo 4 Season 11 will have players facing off against the invading Lesser Evils Andariel, Duriel, Belial, and Azmodan, the last of which is debuting in the game for the first time. To aid players, the High Heavens have sent the angel Hadriel to grant Divine Gifts and Sanctify players’ gear. Both of these characters are new faces to Diablo 4, and are, respectively, the first of their kind to make an appearance in any post-launch Diablo 4 season.

Two Features are Getting New Content in Season 11 for the First Time Since Diablo 4 Was Released

Azmodan is the First New World Boss Since Launch

World Bosses were introduced when Diablo 4 first launched as a major co-op event for groups of players to tackle collectively as a part of the series’ shift towards more MMO-like mechanics. These bosses are incredibly powerful and larger than life, requiring multiple players to fight them at a time in order to stand a chance at claiming victory. To date, there have only been three total World Bosses, all of which were available when the game launched in June 2023:

Ashava, the Pestilent
Avarice, the Gold-Touched
Wandering Death, Death Given Life

Now, Diablo 4 Season 11 is finally breaking this trend and introducing the first new World Boss since launch with the addition of Azmodan, Lord of Sin. Like previous World Bosses, Azmodan will be a part of the rotation of timed spawns, but unlike other World Bosses, players can also summon Azmodan directly from an altar in Hawezar provided they have the required materials. Players will also have to face Azmodan as a boss in the Season 11 Rank 5 Capstone Dungeon.

Azmodan will be a permanent addition to the World Boss line-up, meaning players will still be able to encounter him after Season 11 ends.

Hadriel is the First New Angel to Appear In-Game Since Launch

The forces of the Burning Hells aren’t the only ones to get a new addition in Diablo 4 Season 11. With the introduction of Hadriel, the High Heavens will get their first new representative in the game since Inarius, who debuted in Diablo 4‘s main campaign. Hadriel’s role in Diablo 4 Season 11 is to provide the player with Divine Gifts to enhance their builds in the fight against the Lesser Evils. Additionally, Hadriel will allow players to Sanctify their gear, which applies a final ability like an upgraded Greater Affix or Legendary power to an item before making it unalterable.

It’s possible that Hadriel’s presence in Diablo 4 Season 11 is far more significant than it might initially appear. With speculation that Diablo 4 is planning to reveal Expansion 2 at The Game Awards shortly before Season 11 goes live on December 11, there’s a chance that Hadriel could just be the first of even more angels of the High Heavens to join the game. One of the affixes on the Mythic Heir of Perdition says it deals increased damage to demon and angel enemies, but there are no angel enemies currently in Diablo 4. Perhaps the next Diablo 4 expansion is planning to add angel enemies to the game, and Hadriel is simply heralding the larger return of the host of the High Heavens to Sanctuary.